Legion of Superheroes Se03Ep09: Revelations
by A-Giant-Fan
Summary: The leader of the Dark Circle has revealed her identity - Brainiac 4, the mother of legionnaire Brainiac 5. She asks the Legion to help the assassins take down Brainiac 6 on his own turf, but when the legionnaires split and Gates goes searching for clues, he finds out just how much danger the Legion and his friend are truly in on this mission from the mind of a twisted parent.
1. 01

"Get back to the cruiser!" Cosmic Boy ordered the legionnaires back to the front of the ship as the Dark Circle assassins flew towards them. "Don't let them take us from all sides!"

They had been caught halfway back to Earth, the Dark Circle Cruiser above theirs and holding it in place by a gravitational beam. Cosmic Boy had Ultra Boy and Timber Wolf on either side of him, shoving assassins away as Kinetix and Gates threw them farther off. Brainiac 5 and Triplicate Girl kept them from getting inside the cruiser as Phantom Girl worked from inside the main console room, trying to get it lose, to no avail.

"This isn't working, Cosmic Boy," Kinetix finally said as he bonked too assassins together, "we're way outnumbered! I'm pretty sure the entire Dark Circle is here to greet us."

" _Ambush_ us, you mean," Gates portaled up beside her, "but why here?"

As they regrouped Brainy placed a force field over them, keeping the assassin's firearms at bay. "They may be trying to take our cruiser and hack into any files we're carrying."

As the Dark Circle looked to move towards them, the speakers on their dark cruiser turned on. "Enough," a mysterious voice boomed out into space, "stand down."

To the legionnaires' surprise they did as commanded, splitting into two neatly filed groups as a hooded figure flew out from the cruiser and in between them, facing the force field. "Let us speak on peaceful terms."

"Peaceful terms?" Timber Wolf growled at them as Triplicate Girl stuck her tongue out. "You people don't know what peaceful is."

Slowly the hooded figure removed their hood, revealing a green skinned robot with long blonde waves and purple eyes. "As leader of the Dark Circle, I will ask you again. Speak to us on peaceful terms, Legion of Superheroes."

"Uh, Brainy," Gates gawked as they all noticed the Brainiac sigil on her forehead, "who is that?"

"That," Brainy's eyes were wide, "is the one person I thought I'd never see again. Brainiac 4 – my mother."

* * *

 **REVELATIONS**

Brainiac 4 led the legionnaires through the halls of the Dark Circle cruiser, passing various masked assassins that warily glanced their way. "Is it just me," Gates asked Kinetix, "or are we not welcome here?"

"Judging from the way we're being watched by dozens of security cameras, I'd say…a definite maybe."

Cosmic Boy walked up beside Brainiac 4, Brainy and Triplicate Girl right behind. "Brainy, did you know about this?"

"Not at all," he still seemed to be in shock, "I know next to nothing about her."

She led them into a conference room, where they all sat around a circular table, her at the head between Cosmic Boy and Timber Wolf. "I've brought you all here so we can discuss the possibilities of an alliance."

"Before any of that," Ultra Boy glanced at Brainy beside him, "could we get an explanation about your relationship?"

She nodded. "Brainiac's lineage has been passed down for the past thousand years, but only through four descendants. Brainiac 2 and 3 have passed, and I was to be Colu's representative of him, until I helped build Brainiac 5 with my DNA and then left the planet for…personal reasons."

"No offence, Brainy," Ultra Boy whispered to him, "but your family…how do I say this…"

"Scares you?"

"Extremely."

"You need to understand," Cosmic Boy explained to her as Brainiac 4 pressed a button on the table, bringing up a hologram screen, "the Legion of Superheroes has already given the chance for an alliance with previous enemies which put our members in grave danger. We will need substantial proof that the Dark Circle is willing to follow our conditions."

"How about Brainiac 6's location?" She gestured to the hologram that showed Brainiac 6's face. "This is one of our previous conversations regarding Brainiac 5's bounty."

"So he was the private client," Phantom Girl said, "we were right to suspect him."

The video began to play. "You have yet to retrieve Brainiac 5 for the bounty I have placed. Should your team fail once more to collect what I have plainly requested, I will have no choice but to deal with you personally," his eyes narrowed, "my dear ancestor."

"So he knew you were one of his own all along," Triplicate Girl said as the video ended, "when was this video taken?"

"This was a conversation from yesterday," she answered as the hologram shifted, "he believes that as of right now, we are currently apprehending you for transportation to his planet."

"…But you're not, right?"

"I'm not foolish enough to tell you these things and then ambush you. I may not have the same level of intelligence as my son, despite being one of Brainiac's ancestors, but I know when there's weakness to a plan."

"So let me get this straight," Ultra Boy spoke up, "are you asking us to team up and take down Brainiac…6? By ambushing him at this secret location?"

The hologram showcased a smaller planet. "This is Mekbar, a planet long abandoned by any known species," Brainiac 4 explained further on, "Brainiac 6 is currently arranging some form of army here, having set up base months ago. I contact him frequently. He never leaves the planet."

"Hold on," Gates raised his hand, "Supergirl said that on their mission to Orando, he spoke from one of his ships."

"A mere diversion. He is _always_ on Mekbar." The hologram zoomed into a large base of operations. "He keeps his soldiers to one quarter of the planet, where the planet's sun hits the least."

"This will take time to arrange, if it works out," Cosmic Boy stood up with her, "and I'd like to tour your cruiser first."

"I'll have my men show you whatever you want to see," she turned to Brainiac 5, "so long as I get to speak to my son in private."

Cosmic Boy could see that there was great confliction on Brainy's face, but gave a nod. "Very well. Legionnaires, split into pairs…except for you, Brainy. You're going solo this time."

 **I've finally made it here to Ottawa, where I hope to turn twenty in two days and finish my schooling. This is one of the most exciting things I've ever done, and I'm glad you were all so patient as to wait for my new stories, so here you go! Oh, and also, Brainiac 5 has a mother who's the leader of the Dark Circle. Geez, this poor guy never gets it easy, huh?**

 **Until the next chapter!**


	2. 02

"Something feels wrong here, Triplicate Girl."

"I know what you mean," she and Gates walked along one of the more empty corridors, "every time Brainiac 4 spoke, it was like listening to an actual computer. She didn't show any kind of emotion. Even when Brainy was a robot, at least I could tell what kind of mood he was in. With her…it was impossible to know."

"How old was Brainy when he joined again?"

"Ten. He had been spending time working at the New Star Labs when it was attacked. We showed up to help but he had already taken care of the situation. Saturn Girl asked that he join, and he was more than happy to lend a hand. That's when he first built us C.O.M.P.U.T.O."

"Didn't he have to sign a permission slip or something at that age?"

"R. J. Brande did have him get his parents to sign one…but…"

"Let me guess," Gates rolled his eyes, "it was forged."

They stopped and looked out the window, down at the Legion cruiser. "He used to tell us that he would receive information on various criminal organizations from his father. Then, two years later, he told us it was all a lie so he could join, making us think he had family around. He signed the slip, and the information was all collected by himself."

"Then…why isn't he excited to see his long lost mother?"

"Hello?" He gestured around them. "She's the leader of the Dark Circle. As if having _one_ evil relative wasn't enough."

"…Say," he gave her a wink, "Wanna investigate? Chameleon Boy told me it's a lot of fun."

Triplicate Girl gave him a smile. "You're going to get us in so much trouble."

* * *

"You're in shock."

Brainy turned back to his mother, who had ditched her hooded cloak, revealing grey armour with a blue Brainiac sigil on the chest. They stood in the conference room as he examined the hologram of the planet. "You would be, too, if your programming hadn't been severely damaged during your activation and left you without emotional response."

She sighed. "Just because I cannot feel emotions doesn't mean I don't know when to respond to certain situations." She walked around the circular table to where he stood and crossed her arms. "You are being unfair."

"I'm being logical."

"You're a human now, Querl Dox. You know logic is the last thing your brain attempts when given an unexpected outcome."

He looked her straight in the eyes before taking a deep breath. "Before I was banished from Colu for my actions against the galaxy, last I heard you were a popular gambler halfway across the Milky Way."

"I've been down many roads in my attempt to feel anything," she admitted, "after I activated you and felt no love or desire to cherish you as my own, I left to find something that could allow me emotional response, a way to reverse the damage of my programming. I've been a beggar, a gambler, and I was once even a hero…but nothing worked."

"And now? Here, as the leader of the Dark Circle?"

"That's just it," she held his arm in what should have excitement but was simply assurance of his attention, "something here _has_ made me feel."

"…How," he moved away from her, still uncomfortable being so close, "what here gives you emotion?"

"I…I'm not sure," she gazed around the room as though in a daze, "I will make certain commands, and when I see the outcome…I feel content. Content. Do you know how amazing it is to feel content?"

He sighed. "Emotion is still a new thing to me, as well…what are your real plans for taking on Brainiac? You know how powerful he'll be surrounded by all his technology."

"I can get us in there, and once inside we'll be able to take him on, face to face." She pressed another button and the hologram shifted to Brainiac's cruiser. "He keeps his ship in the center of the building, awaiting the right time to leave the planet."

"With all those ships already prepared, then that means…," Brainy gripped the table's edge, "Brainiac plans to leave the planet with everything he's got, and destroy whatever is left. He's going to leave no evidence behind."

"So if we make any sort of mistake here-"

"We lose Brainiac."

* * *

"Call me paranoid," Kinetix said as she and Timber Wolf kept their eyes on the Legion cruiser below from the back of the Dark Circle ship, "but I'm not enjoying being "guests" aboard this ship."

Timber Wolf could hear the assassins walking past them murmuring under their thick masks. "Neither are they. This has to be the work of Brainiac 4 alone, and yet not one of them is willing to speak up."

"Why let a Coluan lead? I thought they'd prefer someone physically stronger or from a background of villainy…oh."

He glanced at her. "She may not be as smart as Brainy, but she's still a descendant of Brainiac. If she's willing to take the role, no one will stop her."

"Timber Wolf, Kinetix," Cosmic Boy and Ultra Boy flew over to them, "I've looked things over and…we've agreed to give this plan a chance."

"Are you sure?" Kinetix turned to Ultra Boy. "What about Supergirl?"

"We called her," he promised, "and she says to go along with it until something comes up that could put our partnership in danger. Basically, we're gone at the first sight of betrayal."

"On either sides," one of the assassins behind him added, "you show weakness and you get left behind."

"I get that Supergirl wanted to be more trusting," Kinetix slowly crossed her arms, "but we're not welcome here. I feel like I should be looking over my shoulder every few seconds."

"It's just until we find Brainiac," Cosmic Boy assured them, "and think about how this works for Brainy. He finally gets to see his long lost mother. Do you really want to take him away from her so quickly?"

He left to take another look down the hall. "Here's a question," Ultra Boy admitted to the others, "does Brainiac 5 even want to see his mother?"

 **I'll admit, I never got to actually read the comic where Brainiac 5 meets his mom, and I'm sure it would be far more brutal and emotionally traumatizing than what I'm writing here, but I'm basing this off the cartoon. This is a Brainy still getting used to being organic, so this sort of revelation would come as more of a surprise than a welcome.**

 **Until the next chapter!**


	3. 03

Everyone was back in the front console room of the cruiser, Brainiac 4, Brainy and Cosmic Boy at the front as men worked below them at the controls. The rest of the legionnaires and assassins around them waited at attention for their instructions.

"We're just arriving at Brainiac's planet," Brainiac 4 explained as a small reddish-orange planet appeared before the cruiser, "We'll come in father behind that crescent mountain range where the light creates shadows over the tops. Here we won't be seen with our camouflage technology. Tellus, enter."

A large yellow and purple alien floated in, his tail swishing between assassins as he stopped beside Kinetix. "Tellus will be keeping us connected via telepathy."

"Kinetix, Ultra Boy," Cosmic Boy said, "you two will be staying at Tellus' side. Should anything happen he'll guide you to your designated places. Timber Wolf, you and I are going with a small undercover team to find a way into the main ship's hangar. Triplicate Girl, take Phantom girl and find your way to this bases' center of power."

They all nodded, their missions understood. Brainiac 4 put a hand on Brainy's shoulder. "You and I have the hardest part."

He didn't want to look at her, but he wasn't about to show weakness around the Dark Circle. "We're going to keep Brainiac distracted for as long as we can."

"Whoa, whoa," Timber Wolf stepped in, "we didn't agree to that. It's too dangerous."

"Should anything happen to us during the mission," Triplicate Girl added, "there has to be a way to get Brainy out of there."

"I will handle our escape," Brainiac 4 spoke flatly, "but we're heading out in five minutes. If you aren't coming, sit back and watch the rest of us do our jobs." She grabbed Brainy's arm and dragged him out of the room.

"Cos, you can't be serious," Gates flew up to him, "maybe you're ignoring it to be nice, but there's serious tension between him and his mom! Something's wrong with her, don't you see?"

"Look, we'll deal with it later," Cosmic Boy walked past with the assassins following him and Timber Wolf, "just focus on your part of the mission."

"But-"

"Let's move out," Brainiac 4 put her hood back up and cuffed Brainy's hands behind him, "but be sure not to be seen. If anyone of you is taken hostage, apply the pills. Quickly."

Soon the place was empty, save for Gates. "…Pills?" He looked around. "…Uh…no one gave me any instructions. What do I do?" He thought for a moment before letting a smile stretch across his face.

"Anything I want, and the Dark Circle won't have a clue. Nice "mistake", Cos."

* * *

The groups split at the edge of the mountain range, utter darkness covering them as they flew around behind boulders and jutted out rocks. Tellus, Kinetix and Ultra Boy stopped behind the largest rock and watched the others leave.

"So," Kinetix glanced at Tellus, "how come you don't have a hood like the others?"

"I'm only with the Dark Circle because they've given me shelter and training of my powers," he told them as the legionnaires disappeared, "I keep communications, that's all. I don't need a hood…and they don't have any that would fit."

Kinetix had to admit that he was as large as Timber Wolf's feral form. "There are other places that would love to have you as a communicator."

"Such as?"

Ultra Boy proudly held his flight ring up. "The Legion is always looking for people with powers like your own…so long as you're in control of them."

Tellus gazed back towards the enormous metal building looming over them. "…For now, we focus on the important – this mission." He closed his eyes and felt the minds of everyone around. "I'm connecting in three…two…"

* * *

"I've got a connection," Phantom girl whispered as she and Triplicate Girl hid behind another rock near a door guarded by two robot soldiers, "how about you, Triplicate Girl?"

She nodded. " _Cosmic Boy, when do we move_?"

" _Whenever you have the chance_ ," Tellus passed his answer into her mind, " _we move at different times to break from any momentum and confuse the systems_."

Phantom girl noticed the guards only looking forward. " _We're phasing through the wall from a side angle. They won't be able to scan around then_." She took Triplicate Girl's hand and phased them out. Passing through the rock they became invisible and quietly flew through the building's wall.

Once inside they found soldiers marching everywhere, forcing Phantom Girl to keep her powers activated as they flew over their heads.

" _If we don't find somewhere absent of robots_ ," Phantom Girl warned Triplicate Girl through their telepathic connection, " _I'm going to run out of juice and reveal us_."

* * *

" _Cosmic Boy_ ," Timber Wolf spoke to him through their minds as they followed the assassins through the darkness, " _we're way outnumbered here_."

Cosmic Boy looked around. No one had noticed them yet, and they were close to the hangar doors, but before it sat a dozen smaller ships with ten soldiers around each. If they walked out they'd be shot on spot.

" _We're taking them by surprise_ ," one of the assassins shared with them as he grabbed a small smoke bomb, " _but it won't be the Dark Circle attacking_."

Cosmic Boy noticed the sigil on the bomb as it was thrown into the lot of ships. " _That had a Luthor symbol on it! How'd you_ -"

" _Easy to forge. We run in on three. You two are heading straight in while we get across the field and make it to the storage beyond, understand_?"

Timber Wolf knew they had little chance of making it through their plan, but as the smoke billowed out over the lot he saw nothing else they could do. He kept close to Cosmic Boy as the assassins split into the unseen, lost amongst soldiers and smoke.

" _We're at the disadvantage_."

Cosmic Boy led him over the rocks and to the hangar door, where he lifted it up just enough for them to crawl under. "We were at a disadvantage the second we landed on his planet."

 **The race is on for our legionnaires as they try breaking into the most dangerous place in the galaxy - Brainiac's home! Makes it easy to describe, at least. The guy really isn't into curtains and precious carpeting. Speaking of which, I have REAL CARPETING in my new bedroom here, and it's so soft under my bare feet. Makes writing go that much smoother.**

 **Until the next chapter!**


	4. 04

Brainiac sat on his throne on the main ship, watching from his screens the smoke spreading over the lot in front of the hangar. "Someone has decided to pay me a visit. Who is here?"

The smoke dispersed, and he saw his soldiers lying about everywhere. He had the camera zoom in on the smoke bomb, where a large "L" was printed. "Luthor? So I'm to believe that your childish ancestor is intelligent enough to find and defile my base, Alexander?"

A button blinked on a console beside his throne. He pressed the button, and in front of him the ground opened up. Brainiac 4 in her hood and Brainiac 5 were lifted up onto the deck before him. "So you've succeeded at last, great leader."

She did not remove her hood as Brainy kept his gaze to the ground. "I was not told you were running training sessions by your hangar. Why is there smoke everywhere?"

"A mere diversion of a much bigger enemy. No matter of yours," his eyes narrowed, "what matters here is our exchange of goods." He pressed a button on the throne, and from it flew out a large silver briefcase that landed on his laps. "I've doubled the amount. I find this currency…unnecessary."

"…"

"Querl Dox, look at me."

He reluctantly gazed at Brainiac. "I suppose your throne is the setup for the technological metamorphosis."

"No. There are still preparations to be made. I find the Legion a basic use of organic construction, and would prefer to download their information once all internal systems have been…deactivated."

* * *

Gates flew through the fairly empty Dark Circle cruiser, looking for information. He saw the Legion cruiser outside beside the ship. "Sure hope no one's inside there trying to take _our_ secrets."

He found a close door and portaled through to find tables filled with holographic maps still on and charts organized by size. He examined everything before stopping at a table with a holographic recording paused. "Ooh, this looks interesting."

He picked it up and found that there was a password required to use it. "Aw, man, how will I…oh, well," he started tapping random codes in, "mom always did say I was a good guesser…wrong…wrong…wrong…wrong…"

* * *

"All the money is in there," Brainiac assured Brainiac 4 as she took the briefcase, "leave with your cruiser of assassins and be off before these attackers find you."

"I ask but one request, Brainiac…family to family."

Brainy glanced at her as she stared at him from under the hood. "Let me speak to him for five minutes in private."

Brainiac studied them. "…No matter what you do, Brainiac 4, these emotions you seek after will not filter through the malware in your programming. You have the one thing your son should have had: an inability to feel."

"…Five minutes, Vril Dox," Brainy had never used his ancestor's real name before, and it felt as though the words stabbed at his tongue, "and then we can talk about…further plans."

"You've given in?"

He didn't answer, merely looking off to the side. "…Take him to the room behind me," Brainiac's focus went back to the screens behind them, "if you are not back in five minutes I'll shoot you out into space."

* * *

" _Finally_ ," Phantom Girl phased her and Triplicate Girl into an empty room crowded with steam pipes, " _time to rest_." They landed as she let go and phased back, leaning against one of the cooler pipes. " _Do you think we can talk yet? Because I don't want to start only for Cosmic Boy to start ranting about how we shouldn't_."

"Don't care," she whispered back as they listened for footsteps outside the door, "we need to find the power core to this place. Any suggestions?"

Phantom Girl thought for a long moment. "…Brainiac intends to leave this planet once all his planning is completed. Why would he keep such power on a base he's going to eventually abandon?"

"The main ship," Triplicate Girl snapped her fingers, "we need to get to it. Too bad he never puts any maps up."

Phantom Girl phased them out again as they flew back into the corridor and towards the door. It opened into a large open space in the middle of the base, where the large ship with the Brainiac sigil rested. "It has to be on there. Let's focus on getting to the middle as quick as possible."

* * *

"Wrong…wrong…wrong…wrong…wrong…oh, finally," Gates grinned as the holographic recording opened, "guess my guessing is a little bit rusty…?"

The hologram showed a Dark Circle assassin talking to someone off-screen. He was sitting in a small room and didn't once look away from the camera. "This is a bit creepy, but he's bound to have information. Okay," Gates pressed the button, "begin."

"Brainiac 4 has been a beneficial leader to the Dark Circle," the assassin explained, "her intelligence and techniques are invaluable to our organization."

"Tell me," the off-screen voice asked, "does her lack of emotional response hinder her performance?"

"Hinder?" He chuckled. "There is no assassin more capable than one who can't feel remorse. However, I wouldn't say that she's completely disassociated with emotion."

"What makes you say that?"

Gates felt a chill run down his spine when the assassin chuckled again. "I've seen her happy. It was only for a second, but it was there."

"When was this show of emotion?"

"When she sent some traitors to their death during a goose chase mission. We watched them burn, and for the first time I saw her smile."

"She," Gates gulped, hands shivering, "s-smiled?"

"So you believe her to be a psychopath?"

"I don't care what she is," the assassin leaned in close, "all I know is that seeing that pain…it gave her emotion. I hear that she's been trying to feel that same way, but there's been no success yet."

"What has she decoded to do about it?"

The assassin took his mask off, revealing a pink skinned alien with black eyes, sneering. "Seems to me her next target is someone closer to her. If hurting strangers makes her smile, then what about someone she shouldn't want to see get hurt? I can only say I feel sorry for the next Coluan who runs into that witch."

The hologram stopped, waiting to be replayed. Gates dropped it back onto the table.

"Brainy's in major trouble!"

 **Someone should have listened to a certain sleeping beauty when she told him about her visions. Dream Girl was right, there is trouble in Brainy's future, and believe me, it doesn't just stop here! Things are getting more and more dangerous for the Legion as Brainiac's plan finally starts to wrap itself up - now if only they can wrap _him_ up before the universe is destroyed!**

 **Until the next chapter!**


	5. 05

Cosmic Boy and Timber Wolf bent and slashed robot soldiers before they could signal reinforcements as they made their way under Brainiac's main ship in the center of the huge base. " _Timber Wolf_ ," Cosmic Boy turned to him, " _stay close. We don't know if he realizes we're here yet_."

" _This is Brainiac we're talking about, Cosmic Boy. He knows someone is here. Kinetix, I think some reinforcement over here would be appreciated_."

" _I'll be there as soon as I can_ ," she replied as they flew up and right under the entrance to the ship, " _wait for me before entering the ship. If it opens too many times we're bound to be spotted_."

" _I'll remain here with Tellus_ ," Ultra Boy told them, " _but I think its a little late to worry about Brainiac knowing someone's here. There are guards flying everywhere, and it won't be long before they find the cruisers_."

" _If it comes to it_ ," Cosmic Boy furrowed his eyebrows, " _take them down_."

Soon Kinetic had flown into the hangar, making her way past fallen soldiers and in the shadows of the ship. " _I'll open the door with my telekinesis_ ," she warned them, " _so_ _be prepared for anything to greet us_."

As she forced the door open they found nothing waiting for them, and slowly they entered the ship. The door then slammed under them, and soldiers blocked both ways out of the corridor. The legionnaires book their backs together. "Okay, boys," she brushed her moving hair out of her face, speaking aloud this time, "let's greet them kindly."

She shoved her hands apart, throwing all the soldiers down. Cosmic Boy bent the metal walls over them as Timber Wolf sniffed around. "I suppose talking is the least bad thing we can do."

"Agreed. Cos, which way?"

He looked from one end of the corridor to the other. "I'll take to the left. Timber Wolf, you and Kinetix are to the right. Regroup at the first sign of danger, you hear me?"

They nodded before flying off, leaving him on his own. He had no idea where he was going as he walked down the corridor, but it had to lead to somewhere.

Hopefully.

* * *

"Brainiac 4," Brainy stood in the small room as his mother paced before him, the briefcase by his feet, "if you would be so kind as to enlighten me about your current plan?"

They stood in a small room with an air lock on the top. Should Brainiac keep his word, within five minutes they would be flying into space, free to be shot at by his soldiers. He'd be fine but he wasn't sure how his mother would handle it. Then again, the weak don't get to lead the Dark Circle.

Brainiac 4 put her hood down again and faced him. "I need your help."

"What are you talking about? You said you had everything covered."

"This isn't about our plan to overtake Brainiac."

"You need to focus," he pointed to the briefcase, "we're right behind the galaxy's most dangerous enemy. There's no time to-"

"Querl." She stepped over and ran her hand through his hair, giving him a smile. "I'm speaking to you as your mother. I want to help, but we need to hurry."

"…Mother," he spoke the word for the first time, "if you want to help, you need to follow through on our plan."

"This is about us. There's something here on Vril's ship I need to find, but if I told the others we'd only be wasting time."

"We can't just sneak out of here. Brainiac will know."

She did something astonishing. She hugged him. "I need to figure things out between us. Please, Querl, help me."

* * *

Brainiac watched his relatives from the screen before his throne. "So," he said as she hugged her son, "You bring them here according to our plan, Brainiac 4, tricking them into trapping themselves on my ship. To find you taking matters into your own hands fills me with…the ideology of regret."

He reached for a small red button on his throne. "I'm afraid this partnership is…terminated."

He pressed the button for the air lock…where nothing happened. Darkness fell over the entire ship, his soldiers freezing in place as the screens went down. The entire base was dark, not a light anywhere save for his own armour.

"…It would seem I have a malfunction."

* * *

Phantom Girl and Triplicate Girl high-fived beside the power cells of the ship, now busted. "Shut down." They looked over the robots they had beaten up. "Maybe…," Triplicate Girl picked up a piece of an arm and looked it over, "if Brainiac doesn't want to blow his whole ship up, he won't be destroying any of these robots."

"Good idea," Phantom Girl phased them underneath the ground, "if he can't find them, he won't take them. Oh, how I enjoy souvenirs."

Just then Gates portaled into the room. "Phantom Girl! Triplicate Girl!"

"Hey, Gates, where've you been?"

"On the Dark Circle Cruiser! Look, you need to tell me where Brainiac 5 is, right now!"

"Have you tried contacting him through telepathy?"

"We can't speak through Tellus anymore, he isn't responding!"

" _Tellus_ ," Triplicate Girl tried, " _can you hear me? Respond, Tellus_."

* * *

"Stay calm," Ultra Boy stepped in front of Tellus as Dark Circle assassins surrounded them behind the rocks, "we're supposed to be working together!"

"Exactly," one of the assassins responded as they aimed their guns up at the legionnaires, "so what happens when we lose contact with our leader?"

"What do you mean? If you would just let Tellus connect us again-"

"I can't," Tellus told him, "she won't let me."

"You lie!"

"No, I'm not! I'm a member of the Dark Circle, as well, remember."

The assassins chuckled. "So you think."

"…What are you talking about?"

"The only reason we keep you around is for easy connection. You're a bonus that will no longer be necessary, not if Brainiac catches us. You've taken our leader and betrayed our loyalty, and the cost of such treason is only one thing – your lives!"

 **I always thought Tellus was a cool character, this big yellow alien that can move things with his mind like Kinetix, or contact people through their minds like Saturn Girl. He looks cool, acts cool and is cool, and I love him :) Too bad being cool doesn't hold up well against a Dark Circle's weapon, so let's hope these two have a better plan than talking their way out of this.**

 **Until the next chapter!**


	6. 06

"We didn't betray you," Ultra Boy tried reasoning with the assassins about to shoot him and Tellus, "there's something else at work here. If Brainiac 4 had her own intentions here, then we've all been betrayed!"

"You would _dare_ speak against our leader?" One of the assassins aimed right for Ultra Boy's head. "Treason comes in many forms."

Before any of them could fire, however, Tellus raised his large yellow arms, and they all flew back into the mountain. "The plan is breaking down," he told Ultra Boy as the assassins ran at them, "we're on our own."

"Right. Super strength!" Ultra Boy charged into three assassins, plowing them down as he broke apart their guns. "Super Speed!" He ran around the others, punching their lights out before halting in front of a surprised Tellus. "Now what?"

"We prepare our separate cruisers. I have a feeling we'll need to be making quick getaways from this place."

* * *

"Timber Wolf, Kinetix!"

The duo had just finished beating down a horde of robots when Phantom Girl and Triplicate Girl flew up to them. "Have you seen Brainiac 5?"

"He should be with Brainiac 4," Timber Wolf sniffed the air, "I can't get a smell. There's something in the air that's covering our scents."

"Brainiac knows we're here," Phantom Girl risked turning her flight ring's communication on, "Brainy, we're heading back to the cruiser. Our cruiser. Where are you? Hello?"

"Go," Kinetix told them, "I'll find Cosmic Boy and we'll get him out of here fast."

Phantom Girl nodded, and they split. It wasn't too long before the trio was stopped by further soldiers. "Oh, perfect."

"My power cells are stronger than anything you've seen before;" Brainiac's voice was speaking at them through the robots, "this is a mere altercation that will be easily dealt with as soon as I find Querl Dox."

"We're moving out, brain blender!" Triplicate Girl split into three and took out the robots on the side, leaving space for Timber Wolf to tear the others to bits. Phantom Girl held onto their piece of one of the robots and ripped out the wires of the remaining as they flew out.

"I'm worried," she told them as they got out of the ship and battled their way through the hangar, "if Brainiac doesn't know where Brainy is on his own ship that means that Brainiac 4 tricked us."

The white and orange triplets bashed robots together as the purple one looked around outside. "And it means we have next to no time to get out of here."

* * *

"In here," Brainiac 4 pulled Brainy into a small room on the ship, away from the robots, "it has to be."

"We're wasting time," Brainy watched the door closed behind them, "this is for personal gain and it's interfering with our work. And what's worse, I can't connect with Tellus anymore."

The lights were turning back on. "Brainiac has the power back," he sighed, "which means that we're about to be shot out of air lock when his robots come to collect us…?"

Brainiac 4 stood in front of a cylinder in the middle of the room. She opened one of the drawers and pulled out a key. "Finally, I've found it."

"Found what?" Brainy placed the briefcase of money down beside her. "What does it unlock?"

She crouched down and unlocked the case. "Wait, he had the key the whole time?"

"He was going to mock me," she answered as she tossed the key away and opened the case, "giving me what I wanted without letting me open it up. It's an indestructible case with a key from the twenty-first century. Ingenious…but now I have it."

"The money."

"No," she pulled a remote out of the case and tossed it aside, "this."

He backed away from her as she examined the small remote. "Where's the bounty?"

"There was never any bounty. It was all a lie," she had true excitement on her face, "the real prize was…emotion."

"Mom," Brainy smiled, "I don't believe it…you're really feeling."

"Yes," she hugged him again and turned the remote on, "I knew this was the only way. The fleet really was just the beginning?"

"What fleet?"

"The fleet of Dark Circle traitors," she turned back to him, grinning, "that I sent off to death."

His smile slowly faded as she chuckled. "I felt happy as I watched their ship explode. That had to mean that I had the ticket to emotional response…and then I thought," she looked over at him, "how much emotion I could feel if I hurt someone I knew…someone I was supposed to love but never could."

Cosmic Boy ran into the room as Brainy's eyes widened. "This remote," she explained as she turned it on, aiming at him, "locks onto the signal of his force field energy. More specifically, the one inside _you,_ my precious son."

The remote blinked on, and purple energy began to electrify Brainy from the inside out. "Ah," he fell to his hands and knees, " _ahh_!"

Kinetix flew into the room as Brainiac 4 cackled. "Don't move, legionnaires, or I'll kill him faster!"

"Don't do this," Kinetix pleaded, "he's your son!"

"I have no need of family – I have only the need for power! For _emotion_!"

Brainy choked before falling limp, the electricity cackling through his body. "Emotion," she sighed with sadistic relief, "I can finally feel!"

 _BAM!_

Gates portaled behind her and hit the back of her head. _Hard_. She fell unconscious as Cosmic Boy crushed the remote with his powers. "I was too late," Gates gasped as they flew over to Brainy, "is he going to be alright?"

The ship began to move under them. "Not if we don't get out of here," Cosmic Boy carefully picked Brainy up as Kinetix grabbed Brainiac 4, "Gates, to the cruiser!"

He opened a large portal under them, and they vanished as robots flew into the room.

* * *

"Brainy," the three triplets gasped as the others arrived on the cruiser deck, "what happened?!"

"No time," Kinetix moved over beside Phantom Girl at the controls, "get us out of here!"

She and the Dark Circle moved the ships away from the planet as Brainiac's base fell apart. His large ship teleported away as the entire planet exploded behind them, shoving their ships away with its force.

"…Nothing," Timber Wolf and the others gazed back as Ultra Boy looked Brainy over in Cosmic Boy's arms, "we gained nothing here today."

 **I may not have read the comic where Brainy meets his mom, but I know how it ends, and boy does it break my heart every time I think about it. This is why I wanted him to have more focus in the comics. He has such a complicated character and complex family that it would have been great to see him interact with other characters, even from the twenty-first century. Oh well, good thing we all have fanfiction, right?**

 **Until the next chapter!**


	7. 07

"…I know you're awake, Brainiac 5, so open your eyes and face me."

Slowly he looked around to find himself in the nursing station of the cruiser, his mother across from him, unconscious and strapped to the other bed. Supergirl was standing beside him, checking his vitals on the screen above his head. "You're doing well for someone nearly cooked like a turkey."

"When did you get here?" it hurt to speak with such a sore throat. "How many days has it been?"

"Two. Gates really knows how to knock them around when he wants to," she gestured to Brainiac 4, "she hasn't said a thing."

Brainy didn't look at his mother. He couldn't. "Did we collect anything from Brainiac's base?"

"A piece of a soldier that Brainiac hasn't destroyed yet. Invisible Kid and Shrinking Violet are working on it now…I should also tell you that Ultra Boy's mentioned one of the assassins missing. Someone named Tellus that vanished into space by himself. Guy needs some time to think, I suppose."

"He'll be fine, and don't worry, I'll join the other for the examination soon."

"No, you'll rest."

He frowned. "I can handle it. The force field only grazed my nerves."

"You were nearly-"

"I said I can handle it!"

Supergirl cocked an eyebrow at him. "Did you just yell at me?"

"If I say I'm fine," he snapped, "then I am!"

She sighed and from behind her back pulled out his emotional stabilizers. "A little more time with these, then?"

He gawked before turning away from her. "I'm sorry, I…ever since I came back to the Legion, I've run into my ancestor wanting to destroy the galaxy, and now I find out my mother is…just as much of a monster as he is. There's nothing good in us."

"In _them_."

"In our _family_ ," he snapped again before reeling back and taking a deep breath, "…this lineage is cursed."

"…I have a cure."

He looked back to her as she smiled. "There's only a fifty percent chance it'll work, though…are you still willing to try it out?"

"You don't have any knowledge with medication."

"Just close your eyes, Brainy."

Driven by curiosity he closed his eyes. First he felt her place the stabilizers on his cheeks. Then he felt her lean in towards his ear. "We can get through this."

And then he felt her kiss his cheek.

He didn't have time to open his eyes before she was gone.

"…"

She had raced out of the room before he could see her. His mother was breathing quietly.

"…Not one word from you."

Phantom Girl phased into view, smirking as she floated on the other side of his bed.

* * *

"…" Supergirl was leaning against the nursing station door, unable to bring her heartbeat back on track. She had come to the ship right away after hearing what had happened, and once Ultra Boy and Gates had finished filling her in, she had practically raced to Brainy's side. Now she knew why.

Kel-el walked up towards her, having arrived to help locate Brainiac. "You look like you've had a heart attack."

"…I just kissed a boy."

Kel's expression was blank as he walked past her. "Heart attack it is."

 **ROLL CREDITS**

 **IT'S MY BIRTHDAY TODAY, YIPPEE! And I get to spend it...moving boxes into our new house. Oh, well, you can't win them all. At least I get to finish up this episode the day I turn twenty. Alright, alright, back to my _real_ Legion ramblings.**

 **That's right, folks, I SHIP IT! Supergirl and Brainy finally have their first kiss...sort of, and yes, I _totally_ consider that a type of medicine. Love conquers all, right? Anyway, it's back to Supergirl's perspective as we get ready for the next episode, "Out of Time", coming real soon, so hold onto your hats as we fly high...gosh that sounded _way_ too corny. Though I suppose "corny" could be taken as hint for the next story...hm...**

 **Thanks for reading, and until the next episode!**


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